The vast desert stretched endlessly, its golden sands the sole dominant color. The sound of the howling wind echoed incessantly as it carried the sand across the land and sky.
A pair of fiery red wings sliced through the sky above the yellow sands with a rumbling sound of breaking wind. The strong wind carved a trail on the ground that was quickly covered by the shifting dunes.
Xiao Yan was flying directly from Desert City to Rock Desert City. For ordinary people, the distance between the two cities was a very long one.
To put it in perspective, Desert City was like a port city, while Rock Desert City was like an island in the middle of the sea. However, for Xiao Yan who could fly, it only took him an hour to arrive.
As for the map Hai Bodong had given him, he didn't even spare it a glance.
Soon, the outline of Rock Desert City nestled in the Tager Desert faintly appeared in Xiao Yan's line of sight.
The smile on his face grew a few more degrees as he saw the city not far away.
When he was still a few hundred meters away, Xiao Yan retracted his Eagle Wings and slowly landed at the city gates, paid the entry fee, and followed the stream of people inside.
'There sure are a lot of people here.'
To his surprise, this city in the desert had a considerable flow of people coming and going. Most of them were fierce-looking mercenaries armed with swords and daggers. There were also a few traveling merchants among them.
Rock Desert City had a heavier, more oppressive atmosphere than the cities within the empire. The people who chose to stay here all came for the resources in the desert. Perhaps due to the Snake-People Race, the defenses here were much stricter than in Wu Tan City. Fully armed city guards could be seen patrolling everywhere.
After entering the city, Xiao Yan casually inquired and easily found out the location of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company.
'It seems Big Brother and Second Brother's mercenary company has quite a reputation in Rock Desert City.'
Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a few traces of curiosity in his heart upon hearing the residents' evaluation of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company.
He walked south, and soon a compound similar in size to the huge compound the Xiao Clan occupied in Wu Tan City appeared before his eyes.
At the top of the compound, a flag waved in the wind with the words 'Desert Metal Mercenary Company' written in large letters. The drawing on the flag faintly emitted a sense of unyielding iron-bloodedness.
Xiao Yan felt his anxious heart relax a little as he looked at the huge compound. At least his two older brothers had succeeded in establishing themselves outside.
"Halt! This is the territory of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company. Non-members are not allowed to enter!" Suddenly, two Dou Practitioners wielding spears blocked Xiao Yan's path.
Xiao Yan touched his nose and smiled slightly. "I am the younger brother of your two Company Leaders. My name is Xiao Yan."
"You're the genius third brother the two Company Leaders often talk about?"
The two guards exchanged glances but remained skeptical. They shouted, "How can you prove it?"
Xiao Yan chuckled and lightly flicked his finger. A burst of energy instantly sent the weapons in the two men's hands flying as he said, "Is this enough proof?"
Isn't this just causing trouble?!
The two guards didn't retreat in the face of Xiao Yan's terrifying display of strength. Instead, one stood firmly in front of him while the other took out a whistle and blew.
Xiao Yan inwardly nodded. 'It seems Big Brother and Second Brother have good judgment in selecting people. At least they didn't pick a bunch of cowards.'
Hearing the sound of the guards' whistle, several burly men inside the compound quickly grabbed their weapons and rushed out fiercely, glaring at the troublemaker.
A hint of a smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face as he looked at this group of well-trained mercenaries. He said, "All right, let's see how capable the mercenary company assembled by my big brothers is."
He slowly took a step forward. Even though they knew they were no match for him, the two guards gritted their teeth and lunged at him.
Xiao Yan sidestepped and, controlling his strength, knocked two of them away with two precise punches. With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked into the compound of the Desert Metal Mercenary Company.
Seeing someone dare to show such disregard for their Desert Metal Mercenary Company, all the mercenaries let out a shout, grabbed their weapons and charged at him.
"Sigh, that's so like Third Brother." In a building inside the compound, a white-robed man who bore some resemblance to Xiao Yan sighed helplessly.
However, that look of helplessness could not conceal the gratified smile at the corners of his mouth.
"It's fine, let him cause a ruckus for a while. It's also a good chance to see how these men would react in the face of an actual enemy attack."
One could imagine the result. Whether in terms of Qi Methods, Dou Techniques, physical strength, or Spiritual Strength, Xiao Yan was on a completely different level. Forget a few dozen men, even ten times that number would be easily suppressed by him.
Basically, neither Dou Practitioners nor Dou Masters could withstand a single punch from him. In no time at all, most of them were lying on the ground wailing in pain.
"Alright, alright, if you keep going, they won't be able to go out on missions tomorrow." The young man in the white robe smiled as he looked at Xiao Yan. His eyes, a few degrees brighter than an ordinary person's, gleamed with a hint of wisdom and barely perceptible cunning.
"You brat are really a genius. Your strength has grown even more terrifying. What's your cultivation level now?" The other young man in the mercenary outfit stood tall and strong. His dark eyes reflected both laziness and a touch of severity.
A joyful smile was plastered on his face, but beneath that smile, there seemed to be a trace of wolf-like ferocity hidden. It was clear that although this young man appeared amiable, he was the type to fiercely retaliate if provoked, even in the face of death. A man who wouldn't attack if unprovoked, but would definitely bite back if attacked.
Xiao Yan looked at the two men walking out of the compound, and a warm current flowed through his heart. "Big Brother, Second Brother."
His Big Brother Xiao Ding and Second Brother Xiao Li were his biological elder brothers born to the same parents.
"Hahaha! Xiao-Yan-Zi, you finally came. How is it? Does this Desert Metal Mercenary Company pass muster in the eyes of a genius like you?" Xiao Li laughed heartily as he quickly stepped forward, giving Xiao Yan a bear hug and a big pat on the back. His voice was equally filled with excitement and joy.
Xiao Yan put his arm around Xiao Li's shoulder and laughed, "Not bad at all. Their physical condition is pretty good and they have guts too. At least there are no spineless cowards among them. They deserve a reward!"
Xiao Yan flicked his storage ring, and ten bottles filled with medicinal pills appeared in his hand with a series of clangs.
The eyes of the mercenaries lying on the ground immediately lit up when they saw those bottles brimming with pills. Even Xiao Ding and Xiao Li couldn't help being a little startled.
Their father, Xiao Zhan, had long told them that Xiao Yan was an alchemist who had refined a large number of pills for the clan. This allowed the Xiao Clan to monopolize the entire Wu Tan City and become the sole dominant force.
Even so, the sight of Xiao Yan's generous gift still gave them a shock.
"Here are nine bottles of 1st-tier Rejuvenation Pills suitable for Dou Practitioners. They can heal wounds quickly. There's also a bottle of 2nd-tier Body Recovery Pills suitable for Dou Masters. These pills not only help with external wounds but are also effective for internal injuries."
"Second Brother, take care of the distribution." Xiao Yan directly stuffed all the bottles into the arms of a dumbstruck Xiao Li.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you really are something..." Xiao Li was at a loss for words. So many pills! Even the biggest medicinal merchant in Rock Desert City probably couldn't take out this many at once.
Standing behind them, Xiao Ding glanced at Xiao Yan and understood his intentions in doing this. Carrot and stick—this move would likely unite the entire Desert Metal Mercenary Company like a solid steel plate.
Xiao Yan wasn't just simply testing the members of the mercenary company, but also raising the standing of his two elder brothers to prevent anyone from becoming a mole for outside mercenary companies.
Even moles would turn into their own men with this gesture.